Art Therapy for Addiction: Benefits, Techniques, How to Find a Therapist

The fact that this critical part of a teen’s brain is still a work in progress puts them at increased risk for trying drugs or continuing to take them. In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will lead to drug use and addiction. Teachers, parents, and health care providers have crucial roles in educating young people and preventing drug use and addiction. As with most other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug addiction generally isn’t a cure. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of addiction.

Unlike methadone and buprenorphine, naltrexone works solely by blocking opioid receptors so that opioid drugs can no longer cause feelings of pleasure.14 Evidence also suggests that naltrexone reduces opioid cravings.15 Methadone and buprenorphine can be equally effective in helping people reduce opioid use.10 Both medications help people stay in treatment. Several buprenorphine products are approved for treatment of opioid use disorder, including tablets that are placed under the tongue, extended-release injections, and implants. Buprenorphine also binds to and activates mu-opioid receptors in the brain, but to a lesser degree than methadone; it also can block other opioid drugs from attaching to those receptors. In the United States, methadone is only available from approved opioid treatment programs when used to treat opioid use disorder.

Although it also binds to the mu-opioid receptor, naltrexone blocks the receptor, rather than activates it. When a person suddenly stops taking their medication abruptly, they may experience withdrawal symptoms. Any health care provider can addiction recovery art prescribe naltrexone. Other products contain buprenorphine together with the overdose-reversal medication naloxone, including tablets or film to put under the tongue or film to place in the cheeks.9 We have identified many of the biological and environmental risk factors and are beginning to search for the genetic variations that contribute to the development and progression of the disorder.

Video: Why are Drugs So Hard to Quit?

Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems. Medications are also available to help treat addiction to alcohol and nicotine. Treatment of chronic diseases involves changing deeply rooted behaviors, and relapse doesn’t mean treatment has failed. Relapse rates for drug use are similar to rates for other chronic medical illnesses. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person’s risk.

Art Therapy for Addiction: Benefits, Techniques, How to Find a Therapist

As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again. Art therapy can be powerful in motivating and encouraging people to continue their recovery journey from substance abuse. Once sober, many people find it difficult to fill all the hours they used to spend seeking and using drugs or alcohol.

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A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to. An official website of the United States government

Do medications for opioid use disorder work?

Many people lose touch with their true selves when their primary relationship is with drugs or alcohol. Here are some ways art therapy can help treat addiction. Medications for opioid use disorder are safe, effective, and save lives. Medications for opioid use disorder are also safe for women who are breastfeeding and for their infants. Buprenorphine treatment may lead to better health outcomes for infants than methadone treatment. Treatment for opioid use disorder is important during pregnancy.

People also often need time and space to process issues like trauma or abuse. A trained therapist guides these sessions, which are adaptable settings like group counseling and medication-assisted treatment. It’s beneficial for those with underlying mental health conditions who may struggle with verbalizing their emotions. Addiction can feel very scary, especially if someone in your family has an addiction and it can feel like life is out of control. So, not having control of how much you drink or how much drug you use This causes changes in the reward circuitry of the brain and makes the inhibitory circuitry of the prefrontal cortex less strong.

Does relapse to drug use mean treatment has failed?

Some people with disorders like anxiety or depression may use drugs in an attempt to alleviate psychiatric symptoms. In other cases, drug use may trigger or worsen those mental health conditions, particularly in people with specific vulnerabilities.43,44 When people enter treatment, addiction has often caused serious consequences in their lives, possibly disrupting their health and how they function in their family lives, at work, and in the community. Behavioral therapies help people in drug addiction treatment modify their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use. Different types of medications may be useful at different stages of treatment to help a patient stop abusing drugs, stay in treatment, and avoid relapse.

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National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse: Open Session – May 2026

These medications include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.2 Another medication, lofexidine, is available to treat the acute symptoms of opioid withdrawal.3 They may also help treat withdrawal symptoms that occur when people stop taking opioids and reduce drug cravings without creating the strongly pleasurable effects of opioid drugs. A person is diagnosed with opioid use disorder if they have two or more of the symptoms and behaviors related to their opioid use listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Fortunately, researchers have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives. Beyond the harmful consequences for the person with the addiction, drug use can cause serious health problems for others.

NIDA explores in this video the intriguing similarities between the processes of brain development and computer… Thomas Ross, staff scientist in the Neuroimaging Research Branch at the NIDA, uses brain imaging techniques such as… What’s really in bath salts, N-bombs, and synthetic opioids? Dr. Curtis uses AI, social media, and smartphone sensors to gain a better understanding of substance use and misuse For example, it is now well-known that tobacco smoke can cause many cancers, methamphetamine can cause severe dental problems, known as meth mouth, and that opioids can lead to overdose and death. Imaging scans, chest X-rays, and blood tests can show the damaging effects of long-term drug use throughout the body.

• The medication lofexidine (Lucemyra®) is approved for treatment of withdrawal symptoms that can happen when people suddenly stop taking opioids.
• The chronic nature of addiction means that for some people relapse, or a return to drug use after an attempt to stop, can be part of the process, but newer treatments are designed to help with relapse prevention.
• Art therapy is a valuable and effective form of treatment for addiction, as it allows you to express your emotions healthily and creatively.
• Addiction can feel very scary, especially if someone in your family has an addiction and it can feel like life is out of control.
• In the United States, methadone is only available from approved opioid treatment programs when used to treat opioid use disorder.

So when you’re struggling to express yourself but still crave emotional release, art therapy can help. The practice provides a creative outlet for people to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through various art forms. No artistic skill is required for art therapy; the key is a willingness to engage in the process.

• Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of addiction.
• In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will lead to drug use and addiction.
• As with other diseases and disorders, the likelihood of developing an addiction differs from person to person, and no single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to drugs.

This impairment in self-control is the hallmark of addiction. But with continued use, a person’s ability to exert self-control can become seriously impaired. Even relatively moderate drug use poses dangers. Both disrupt the normal, healthy functioning of an organ in the body, both have serious harmful effects, and both are, in many cases, preventable and treatable. Addiction is a lot like other diseases, such as heart disease.

So, some people may think they are just substituting one drug for another. Unlike methadone, buprenorphine can be prescribed by many doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Methadone may help some people stay in treatment longer.11

This is because a person usually needs to stop taking opioids for 7 to 10 days first.15 However, NIDA-supported research suggests that a faster treatment approach that reduces the waiting time to start naltrexone can also be effective.17 Naltrexone is another medication approved for the treatment of opioid use disorder; it is also approved for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. There is no need to visit special treatment clinics.9 Since the COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers can even prescribe buprenorphine via telehealth services, making it easier for people to get buprenorphine and stay in treatment.12

Both methadone and buprenorphine bind to and activate the same mu-opioid receptors in the brain as do other opioid drugs. Naltrexone treatment is typically started after the person has completely stopped taking other opioid drugs; otherwise, the medication may cause withdrawal symptoms.16 Like methadone, buprenorphine can reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms without producing intense feelings of pleasure and intoxication in people who have opioid use disorder.

When scientists began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people with an addiction were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. Learn about health effects, risks, and treatment options. Supporting scientific research on drug use and addiction Watch artist and advocate William Stoehr’s intimate testimony, as he shares his story of loss to an opioid overdose and…